Breaking Bad banker dealt in crystal meth after terminal cancer diagnosis

Supplier’s criminal career had strong echoes of hit US television drama. Now he faces death in prison

A FORMER banker, who began supplying crystal meth after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, has been condemned to die in prison after being sentenced to 11 years.

In a plot mirroring the hit US television drama, Breaking Bad, David Parkinson, 34, went into the drug business after being told his illness could not be cured.

Recruiting his mother Diane as his bookkeeper, Parkinson travelled from his home in Lancashire to London to buy large quantities of the drug.

He then supplied it to gay men involved in the so-called “chem sex” scene, where partygoers engage in lengthy orgies, fuelled by large quantities of illegal drugs.

During the investigation into the drug supply, police discovered that Parkinson had also been using his position to groom and abuse young boys, encouraging them to take drugs.

Appearing at Inner London Crown Court, Parkinson pleaded guilty to supplying drugs, arranging sexual activity with a child under 13 and also paying for sexual activity with a child under 13.

He was jailed for 11 years, but the seriousness of his condition means he will almost certainly die in prison.

His mother, who admitted nine counts of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs, was jailed for three years and four months.

Parkinson was caught when officers based in Lambeth, south London, which is a hub for the chem sex scene, stopped him as he travelled to meet his supplier.

When they searched his bag they discovered drugs with a street value of £5,000. Police then raided his home in Leyland, Lancashire, where they also found quantities of crystal meth, cocaine and amphetamines. They discovered meticulous ledgers detailing the drugs supplied and his customers.

His mother, who had a number of previous drug supply convictions, was found tallying up their order book. One of the officers who worked on the case said Parkinson used some of his mother’s drug contacts to find the best deals.

He bought the drug for around £150 per gram in London, but was selling it in Lancashire for £200 or more.

However, a Scotland Yard spokesman said his business was not all about profit as he was also using the drug as a gateway into the chem sex scene.

The court heard that Parkinson had been working as a banker in Australia in 2007 when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. One of the officers who worked on the case said this seemed to have served as the catalyst for him becoming a drug dealer.

Neither Parkinson not his mother showed any sign of emotion as the sentence was passed.